Customized maritime education and training path (C-path) for aspiring and current ship navigators

This study investigates the design and implementation of a Customized Maritime Education and Training Path (C-Path) for aspiring and current ship navigators by focusing on defining strategies to tailor learning paths to individual needs. Six customization strategies are compared and explored including 1) experience-based approaches that adapt training to students’ self-reported prior knowledge and 2) assessment-driven methods that use diagnostic tools to identify skill gaps and guide targeted instruction, 3) Interest-based customization allows students to align their training with personal career aspirations, while 4) pace-based strategies assumes all learners begin with the same foundational content but progress adaptively according to their individual learning speed. Additional two methods include 5) dynamic-performance customization, which uses real-time monitoring and adaptive algorithms to adjust training content based on learner ongoing performance, and 6) scenario-based customization which tailors learning through simulated real-world challenges. This study evaluates these approaches in terms of their effectiveness, feasibility and alignment with STCW and maritime industry standards, and we hope to present a customized learning path for modernizing maritime education to optimize skill acquisition, enhance safety and support professional growth in an evolving industry.